flyinglentris
Disabled and Retired Veteran
To increase the variety of my beverages, I have decided to turn to tea. I don't normally drink tea, probably, because the only tea I've ever tried is Lipton tea bag tea.
There is only one species of tea (camellia sinensis), but several variations, small leaf, large leaf and for black teas, the large leaf assamica varietal. The natural range of tea plants is a small area around the China/Burma border, but tea has been cultivated beyond its natural range.
Tea is normally steeped in hot water at a temperature just less than boiling, but some teas can be made in cold water. Cold water used to make tea makes is much milder. Teas are usually sweetened and in some cases blended with milk. Some teas like Chai and Earl Grey are flavored, with spices or a fruit rind oil.
I have acquired Chai and Earl Grey tea which both come in tea bags.
Chai and Earl Grey are both steeped in hot water. Milk may be added to Earl Grey. Chai is flavored with a variety of spices and Earl Grey is flavored the rind oil of the bergamot fruit.
The Japanese harvest their tea early, while it is green.
The most popular Japanese tea is the sencha green tea. Sencha may be acquired either as crushed leaves or in tea bags.
Sencha tea is usually brewed in a tea pot which may or may not have a built in strainer. These pots are ceramic and hot or cold water is poured into them over the sencha tea.
The same tea plant is used in Japan to create Matcha powder, a finely ground tea powder used to create matcha. Matcha may be used to create ceremonial green tea or may be used in foods.
Matcha is made with a special ceremonial tea set and is whisked to mix it with hot or cold water.
Clearly, not all tea comes in tea bags. And from early times, tea did not come in tea bags. We've all heard how a person's fortune could be read from the tea leaves in their cup of tea - yes? Strainers are used for raw tea that does not come in tea bags, like sencha and matcha, but even the strainer may not be used in all cases.
I will be trying my new teas, instead of coffee in the near future.
There is only one species of tea (camellia sinensis), but several variations, small leaf, large leaf and for black teas, the large leaf assamica varietal. The natural range of tea plants is a small area around the China/Burma border, but tea has been cultivated beyond its natural range.
Tea is normally steeped in hot water at a temperature just less than boiling, but some teas can be made in cold water. Cold water used to make tea makes is much milder. Teas are usually sweetened and in some cases blended with milk. Some teas like Chai and Earl Grey are flavored, with spices or a fruit rind oil.
I have acquired Chai and Earl Grey tea which both come in tea bags.
Chai and Earl Grey are both steeped in hot water. Milk may be added to Earl Grey. Chai is flavored with a variety of spices and Earl Grey is flavored the rind oil of the bergamot fruit.
The Japanese harvest their tea early, while it is green.
The most popular Japanese tea is the sencha green tea. Sencha may be acquired either as crushed leaves or in tea bags.
Sencha tea is usually brewed in a tea pot which may or may not have a built in strainer. These pots are ceramic and hot or cold water is poured into them over the sencha tea.
The same tea plant is used in Japan to create Matcha powder, a finely ground tea powder used to create matcha. Matcha may be used to create ceremonial green tea or may be used in foods.
Matcha is made with a special ceremonial tea set and is whisked to mix it with hot or cold water.
Clearly, not all tea comes in tea bags. And from early times, tea did not come in tea bags. We've all heard how a person's fortune could be read from the tea leaves in their cup of tea - yes? Strainers are used for raw tea that does not come in tea bags, like sencha and matcha, but even the strainer may not be used in all cases.
I will be trying my new teas, instead of coffee in the near future.
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